10 significant rule differences between NBA and Olympics basketball and it's ramifications

#5 Defensive 3 seconds

Drives in the lane will be difficult

In the NBA, in order to prevent teams from clogging the paint or over relying on zone defenses, the defensive 3 seconds rule was instituted. According to this rule, a defensive player cannot spend more than 3 seconds in the restricted area without actively guarding an opponent. There is no such restriction in international play.

France's Stifle Tower, Rudy Gobert, in particular, should love this rule change. He is perhaps the best interior defender in the Olympics along with DeAndre Jordan, and they both can now camp in the lane with impunity.

Ramifications:

This rule change will allow teams to park in the lane and discourage drives. It also enables them to play zone defense more freely. This results in teams resorting to three-pointers more often. Threes kill zones, and clogged paint invites threes as well.